Efficient, Comfortable Homes Make Satisfied Buyers

Rising energy prices, coupled with increased public awareness, have fueled demand for more energy-efficient homes. Many builders have responded by qualifying their new homes for the Energy Star label. Others have gone beyond Energy Star standards and qualified their new homes through Guaranteed Performance (GP) programs such as Environments For Living (EFL) and Performance Built that allow builders to guarantee energy savings and comfort (see “Guaranteed Performance”). But have these programs worked? Has energy consumption actually been reduced? And have homeowners been satisfied with the performance of these program homes? My colleagues at Advanced Energy and I addressed these issues in parallel studies published in early 2006.